So, a quick summary of what’s gone down today:
- Arsenal have completed the signing of midfielder Krystian Bielik
- However, their bid to sign Gabriel Paulista from Villarreal may have hit a snag
- James Milner could be on his way out of Manchester City
- Chelsea are apparently in talks with Fiorentina over Juan Cuadrado
- Valencia are holding out for €50m for Manchester United and Arsenal target Nicolás Otamendi.
- West Brom don’t want to sell Saido Berahino
- Dani Osvaldo is AWOL from Inter
- Footballers go to loads of gigs
And with that, I’m out. Cheers for reading and sharing. We’ll be back same time tomorrow.
Sky Sources understand what a load of papers have understood since about this time yesterday, that Chelsea are in talks with Fiorentina for Juan Cuadrado.
James Fraser writes: “I’m very grateful to you for including me in the Footballers at Gigs meme, but I’m certainly not going to be offering any possibly fabricated footballer chat up stories. That particular stain on my unconscious is between me and my therapist, who, incidentally, was once chatted up by Uwe Fuchs in an airport bar.” Any number of jokes there, the first in the form of asking a simple ‘Does he?’
A rare piece of good news for Blackpool fans.
The club can confirm that a compensation package has been agreed with @HullCity for Tom Ince, without the need of a tribunal. (1/2)
— Blackpool FC (@BlackpoolFC) January 21, 2015
The Tigers will pay up to £2.3m for the 22-year-old, who moved to the KC Stadium on a two-year deal in the summer. (2/2)
— Blackpool FC (@BlackpoolFC) January 21, 2015
Well, considering they probably could’ve got much more than that if they’d sold him before he ran his contract down it might not be ‘good’ news, but it’s...erm...news.
Hoffenheim have sold goalkeeper Koen Casteels to Wolfsburg, who in turn will probably loan him out to Werder Bremen. Yeah, winding down a bit now, this.
Odds news! Cardiff’s Nicky Maynard is 6/4 to join Huddersfield. If you have enough money to waste on betting on stuff like that.
Remember David Goodwillie, the symbol of just about everything that went wrong at Blackburn a few years back? Well, he’s just signed a one-year extension to his contract at Aberdeen.
“It’s a huge club, moving in the right direction under the vision of the manager, and I wanted to remain part of that as I feel something special can happen with this team,” he parped.
Oh, probably should’ve mentioned this earlier, but Equatorial Guinea v Burkina Faso is underway in the Africa Cup of Nations, and you can follow it all with Paul Doyle over here.
Uh-oh, we could’ve found a new theme quite late in the day...
@NickMiller79 oooh, footballer chatting up stories. Graeme Souness tried it on with my Mam and got a slap for his troubles.
— Mike Meehall Wood (@MillbankBhoy) January 21, 2015
@NickMiller79 On the chatting up theme, Sol Campbell once tried to chat up my sister in a theatre. She also had no idea who he was.
— Chris McHugh (@TrawlerBlogMUFC) January 21, 2015
And here is Late In The Day. Complete with pogo sticks...
Bebé! You thought you’d heard the last of him, didn’t you? No, no, my friends. As you may recall he signed for Benfica on a permanent deal in the summer, but he’s now been loaned out to Córdoba in Spain, according to SoFoot.com.
Also, he continued the fine footballing tradition of assuming a transfer was a wind-up, specifically when Manchester United came in for him. You and us both, youth.
They put a release clause of 9 million euro on me. A club wanted to pay and two days later I was in Manchester. I thought they were joking!
I learned a lot from Ferguson but the problem was I was alone and just a kid. I’ve grown up now. At Córdoba I’ve a chance to prove my worth and I fully intend to seize it.
Brief scouting report on the Arsenal target...
#Gabriel Villarreal want €20m. Player likes the Arsenal wages. Arsenal would get quick, aggressive footballer who'll improve with experience
— Graham Hunter (@BumperGraham) January 21, 2015
News that you may very well already have known about but I didn’t - David Trezeguet is set to retire, according to reports in Argentina.
Just think, she could’ve walked away with all that money after an unhappy marriage...
@NickMiller79 Not quite footballers at gigs but in 1993 my mum was chatted-up by Ray Parlour at a dinner in Dublin. She'd no idea who he was
— Keith Moss (@KeithMossMusic) January 21, 2015
@JacobSteinberg pic.twitter.com/U42XGo4jV5
— Stuart Davison (@weestu) January 21, 2015
More footballers at gigs? Sure!
@NickMiller79 pictorial evidence! pic.twitter.com/x7WveDgCaj
— Allastair Dödds (@Alli734) January 21, 2015
Meanwhile James Fraser fibs: “So desperate am I to be a part of this “footballers at gigs” meme that I briefly considered making something up. Luckily, I then remembered that I once saw Quincy Owusu-Abeyie at a Cocorosie gig at the Islington Academy in 2004. Either that, or it was Phil Bardsley at a Tori Amos concert at the Manchester Apollo in 2009. As you can imagine, it’s hard for me to remember.”
And Sandy McGregor recalls: “Back in 86 I went to see the Pogues at the Barrowlands. In front of me were Paul McStay and Brian McClair, both at the time playing for Celtic. It was Christmas, a Saturday night and the crowd as you can imagine was a bit boisterous. The two of them decided to bail out before the Pogues came onstage as the odds of them being trampled in a stampede were pretty high.”
As Michael tells us: “I once spent an entire Morrissey gig at Ally Pally standing next to QPR legend Kevin Gallen (he and Moz are mates, apparently). It was somewhat annoying to have much of the set drowned out by a bunch of lads surrounding Kev and chanting “one Kevin Gallen” for what seemed an eternity (and to KG’s obvious discomfort).”
Updated
A little something for our Scottish friends now, and Nigerian defender Juron Oshaniwa sounds very keen on a move to Parkhead. Very keen indeed. He told the BBC:
My club have told me that Celtic have contacted them about me and said they were interested in me. A move to play for Celtic would be a dream come true for me.
I would be so glad to meet up with my international team-mate Efe Ambrose. I would love to play at Celtic. I have heard great things about the club and know how big they are.
I have played on the biggest stage in the world at the World Cup and it’s time for me to move on. Football is a game of movement and it is time for me to move to a big club. I would love to play with them in the Champions League.
Another striker for whom things haven’t gone swimmingly at a Premier League club is Mario Balotelli, but according to the Liverpool Echo there’s no chance of him leaving this month, despite reported interest from Parma, Inter and Juventus.
Sunderland fans probably did not cry themselves to sleep when Jozy Altidore did one from the Stadium of Light, and he’s been talking about why/how it didn’t work out up there, as quoted by ESPNFC:
I think it was tough for everyone at Sunderland. If you go down the line, I don’t think anybody has it easy there. It’s a tough place to play -- there’s no other way to put it. But I still was appreciative of it. The fans were fantastic, the stadium was great, and I thank everybody there for when I was there and how they treated me.
It didn’t go as anybody planned. There was ideas, a way to play, and after a month, it got thrown out the window. I don’t think it was how anybody wanted it to go.
I just don’t think we fit. I didn’t fit for Sunderland, and Sunderland didn’t fit for me. Sometimes that happens. I tried to play in different ways, but it just didn’t fit. I’m a certain player, and they play a certain way. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out.
Speaking of Gazzetta, they’ve been doing some stirring, claiming that about half the PSG team could be on the way in teh summer, most notably Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but also Ezequiel Lavezzi, Thiago Motta and Edinson Cavani.
On the subject of the AWOL Dani Osvaldo, Gazzetta have been doing some investigating...
Hey, you lot like goals, right? Here’s a bunch of them from this week. Particularly enjoyed this Granero one...
This one’s decent too...
Enna Cooper writes: “I always forget that Paul McGregor was a Britpop kid. To anyone that was around the East London post-punk scene a few years ago he was better as known as Honey, the lead singer in the Sisters of Mercy/Jesus and Mary Chain hybrid, Ulterior (so, yes, he is the one seen here looking almost exactly like Axl Rose).” This actually isn’t at all bad.
Before that McGregor was also in a band called Merc, whose career never really took off, and this vaguely heart-breaking passage from his Wikipedia entry explains why:
Whilst a player with Nottingham Forest, he was part of a Britpop band called Merc, who played a gig at Rock City in Nottingham which was meant to be attended by Alan McGee, however he failed to turn up.[4]
As of a couple of hours ago Massimo Cellino is no longer allowed to run things at Leeds, but is he going to sneak his way back in as the club’s chef? James Riach reports that he cooked the team’s meal before their win over Bournemouth last night.
Perhaps he’s taking the Sam ‘Ace’ Rothstein approach, who upon voicing his concerns about running the Tangiers without a license, was advised by Andy Stone:
All you gotta do is keep changing your job title. Like, uh, from Casino Executive to Food and Beverage Chairman. And what happens it, they take your application, they put it at the bottom of the pile. I know guys workin’ there for thirty years, don’t have a license.
Remember Andreas Cornelius? Vincent Tan certainly does, and it appears Cagliari are very much aware of his work too, as according to TuttoMercatoWeb they’re set to sign the big striker.
A tale of unrequited love from Kim: “I once met John Barnes when he was a Liverpool player at a gig by The Grid in Brighton. My hero at the time was somewhat taken aback by me leaping on him and smothering him in kisses. His reaction was repeatedly saying ‘ Who is this guy, who is this guy ?’”
Something you might have missed; Newcastle’s manager search might extend until the summer, according to yer man Lee Charnley, the club’s managing director, in the Chronicle. Here’s more:
We’ve got a number of options: clearly my preference is to try and find someone to bring in now.
However, because it will be a long-term commitment, if I have to wait until the summer for what I believe is the right individual then I would rather wait than actually take someone now who I think isn’t the best fit.
I’m not going to take someone who is free and available now if we have a better option and options by waiting until the end of the season. I know that won’t be an entirely popular point of view, but for me that is the most sensible thing to do. It is about the medium to long term and ensuring we get the ‘right one’.
New twist on the footballers at gigs thing...
@NickMiller79 Not quite "footballer at a gig" but Eric Cantona sat next to me at the Barbican's Duchamp exhibition: https://t.co/yVX4JxErxe
— Juliet Jacques (@julietjacques) January 21, 2015
Stevan Jovetic’s position at Manchester City might have looked a little precarious to many with the arrival of Wilfried Bony/him not being that good and always injured, but the man himself don’t want to go nowhere.
“I never wanted to go because I have a lot more to show and a lot more goals to score,” he told Sky Sports. So there.
Sensational footballers at gigs update from Matthew Bailey: “Pat Nevin at ATP. Pretty sure he played in a five-a-side tournament in the afternoon and then performed a DJ set in the Irish bar in the evening. Also Nevin, Perry Groves and Colin Murray all once went to an Underachievers (much missed Manchester indie disco) night together a few years back. One may have done a set again.”
....and in reply to the query: “Perry Groves?”
“Yeah! He looked like a friendly, if slightly chubby, skinhead. The Arsenal fan in attendance was in raptures.”
Asks Michael ‘Definitely Not Mike’ Hunt (transfer bloggers’ brackets): “Isn’t Bielik holding up an Arsenal shirt in that picture a bit redundant when he’s, you know, wearing an identical Arsenal shirt?”
While there’s a slight lull in proceedings, can I direct you to this, written by, well, me, about the strange world of professional footballers’ websites.
News of Oriol Romeu now, the Chelsea midfielder who a) is on loan at Stuttgart and b) looks like Noel Fielding if he got a part in American History X. He’s open to the possibility of sticking around in Germany beyond the end of his current loan spell, which is at the end of this season.
He told Kicker, with translation via ESPNFC, about reports that talks are underway to extend the arrangement: “I could imagine that...I don’t know what Chelsea plans.”
The footballers at gigs sightings have been flowing in:
- “I stood next to Leighton Baines watching Peace in the John Peel Tent at Glastonbury a couple of years ago,” says Jake Curtis.
- “I was talking to a local woman at Glastonbury who said she’d rented out her family home to two footballers for the weekend. I asked her who and she said she didn’t know much about football but they were called Joey and Andy. After she described them to me I realised she was talking about Joey Barton and Andy Carroll. Terrifying, I thought. Then later that day, randomly, they both ended up standing behind me singing along to the entire Mumford & Sons set. Terrifying was right…” Peter informs us.
- “In 1995, George Best walked past me and my entire family at a Michael Jackson concert in Auckland, New Zealand, where we were all living at the time. Nobody around us had any idea who he was. The gig was terrible, incidentally, with Jackson clearly miming along to 95% of the songs, and then butchering the rest when he chose to actually sing. True story,” reports Jon Brigden.
- “I once stood about 5 metres from Rio Ferdinand at a gig by The Roots at Manchester Academy. I forget the year, but it was around the time that he was banned for missing a drugs test. As such, the fumes hovering above the crowd left me slightly concerned,” frets Sam Katterfield.
Done deal from France, where playmaker Bernardo Silva’s loan from Benfica to Monaco has been made permanent for around €15.75 million, which sounds like quite the chunk of change for a 20-year-old and from a team who had seemingly stopped spending since that unfortunate business with the divorce and so forth in the summer.
More from Italy now, and according to TuttoMercatoWeb Juan Cuadrado’s agent is in London, and not just for the burger joints and craft beer. Alessandro Lucci will be meeting Chelsea bods apparently over their nascent move for the winger, which increasingly sounds like it has legs. Much like the player himself - whenever you ask anyone about him, they tend to suck their teeth and say “Well, he’s quick.” Which if I was a Chelsea fan, I wouldn’t find enormously reassuring.
Lazio are busy puppies this week...
Sporting offload centre-back Maurício to Lazio. Loaned initially with obligation to buy at end of season for €2.65m. pic.twitter.com/3WYISazxby
— Tom Kundert (@Portu_Goal) January 21, 2015
Nick here, back from lunch. Speaking of which, the Doncaster squad have been doing their best to dispel lazy stereotypes about where footballers go to eat out.
Come and join the boys now at @NandosUK Doncaster #drfc pic.twitter.com/CU52dToj5h
— Doncaster Rovers FC (@drfc_official) January 21, 2015
And Guillem Balague is saying that Darren Fletcher is not off to Spain.
Despite Darren Fletcher's interest in joining Valencia (and VFC DoF originally wanted too), he wont
— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) January 21, 2015
Good news for Tony Pulis and West Brom perhaps?
Deal done for Reid
Not that Reid ... It’s Bristol City midfielder Bobby, set for his fourth loan move of the season, as he heads to Plymouth for the rest of the season.
Bobby Reid is back at Home Park - read more here http://t.co/A9DzL3q2oH pic.twitter.com/GMfzW1FGZ2
— Plymouth Argyle FC (@Only1Argyle) January 21, 2015
And it gets better, there’s breaking Pat Nevin news.
Sam Cottis writes, re 12.31: “On the subject of Pat Nevin’s love of Indie-Pop he’s a semi regular DJ at my friends clubnight. You’ll find him at Moustache Bar in Dalston on February 28th.
Here’s a playlist from a previous set http://www.scaredtodance.co.uk/djs/pat-nevin/”
Valencia holding out for €50m for Otamendi
A Nicolás Otamendi update courtesy of our very own Sid Lowe. Manchester United and Arsenal have both been linked with the Argentina central defender, however ...
Valencia’s stance at the moment is the typical Spanish stance: ‘you want him? Pay his buy-out clause.’ Otamendi’s buy-out clause is €50m [£38.3] and the takeover from Peter Lim means that they are not desperate to bring funds in, although if reports of a €35m bid are true the temptation would exist (so long as they had a ready replacement). Otamendi was one of their signings in the summer – for €12m. And nor is he desperate to leave, in part at least because he has only just got there.
Sounds like this may be one for the summer.
Updated
Not transfer news exactly – but Dalian Wanda Group, a Chinese conglomerate has just bought 20% of Atlético Madrid for £34.4m.
The next Spanish super-club? President Enrique Cerezo thinks so: “We are going to be able to do a lot more things with Wanda on board. Wanda’s investment will be very important for the economy of the club.”
Nick’s gone for some well deserved lunch – so I’ll guide you through the next action-packed hour.
Can anything beat that Bielik move?
Interesting/slightly troubling news from Italy, now...
Dani Osvaldo has been absent from training for 2 days without #Inter's permission...and no one knows where he is! #WheresDani
— Daniella Matar (@DaniellaMatar) January 21, 2015
Earlier we mentioned that QPR might be keen. Have Inter looked in any West London pie and mash shops?
Talk has been flopping around that PSG might make a move for Paul Pogba, and possibly throw Edinson Cavani and/or Marco Verratti in some sort of swap deal. Not according to the latter’s agent Donato di Campli however, who said on Italian radio:
Everybody’s saying good things about Marco. I’d like to make it clear that, with all due respect to Pogba, Marco is nobody’s bargaining chip.
If one day somebody decides to knock on PSG’s door to discuss Verratti, they’ll have to deal with the club directly for the player, rather than hoping to slip him in as part of a parallel transaction.
A few more footballers at gigs sightings now:
Marc Watson says: “Back in my university days I had the pleasure of meeting Paul McGregor backstage at a Shed Seven gig at the Rock City. A thoroughly delightful chap he was too and, lest we forget, a proud sporter of the ‘Indie Haircut’ long before Leighton Baines muscled in on the act.”
And Peter Wilson taps his nose and tells us: “I once served Steffan Iversen in HMV in Piccadilly Circus…can’t remember who he bought though but I know it wasn’t Kenny G or Al Jarreau.”
Updated
Potentially reassuring news for Manchester United fans, depending on how much you trust Marca. The Spanish paper reports that these tales linking David de Gea to Real Madrid are a little flimsy, and while Real would of course be delighted to have the keeper, the idea of a transfer has only really been floated by Jorge Mendes, doing what Jorge Mendes does.
Perhaps more promisingly for any nervous Mancs, the paper reports:
De Gea, meanwhile, is waiting for United to blink first. He is happy in Manchester, having won over the fans, his teammates and the critics, but he wants to be appreciated - and to win trophies. That much is self-evident to all and sundry who have come into contact with him. Staying with the Red Devils remains his first choice, but the clock is ticking and Real cast a long shadow.
Updated
More from the world of footballers at gigs, and I’ve been waiting for this one. “I saw Pat Nevin at a Belle & Sebastian gig at Glasgow School Of Art, though it would probably have been more of a surprise if he hadn’t been there,” says Keith Wright (not the former Hibs striker/Cowdenbeath manager of the same name, sadly).
Here’s their new song, which unlike many Belle & Sebastian purists I rather like...
...while if you hanker for the old days/have an hour to spare, this Pitchfork film about the making of ‘If You’re Feeling Sinister’ is worth your time.
Word from the Yorkshire Post’s Leeds man...
Sol Bamba still likely to be #lufc's first signing. Hearing that Leeds are also looking at Renan Garcia, ex-Sampdoria midfielder.
— Phil Hay (@PhilHayYEP) January 21, 2015
Ah, now this is interesting, hot from our own Dominic Fifield about Arsenal and Gabriel Paulista:
Arsenal’s pursuit of the Villarreal centre-half Gabriel Paulista may well end up hinging on their ability to obtain a work permit for the Brazilian as the clubs continue negotiations aimed at striking a deal over a fee for the player.
The parties remain some way apart at present with Villarreal, sixth in La Liga and reluctant sellers, ostensibly holding out for the 20m Euros release clause written into the 24-year-old’s contract. Arsenal would prefer to strike a deal for an initial £6m with add-ons to take the fee potentially beyond £10m, aware as they are that Gabriel is keen to join them.
However, even if compromise is struck, securing a work permit could prove even more awkward. The player has yet to represent Brazil at any level, with regulations for players without an EU passport stating they qualify only if they represent an international team ranked within Fifa’s top 70 and have played 75% of that side’s matches in the last two years.
There is scope for the rules to be relaxed - an appeals process is run by the Football Association on behalf of the Home Office - though Arsenal would have to prove that Gabriel is an “exceptional talent” despite the fact that, ideally, they would only be paying an initial £6m for his services. The London club had been forced in the past to loan Joel Campbell, of Costa Rica, and Mexico’s Carlos Vela to clubs in Europe before securing the green light to bring the players to the Premier League.
Some details on Arsenal completing the Bielik signing here, should you require them.
Might be a tad slow on this, but it doesn’t look like West Brom are especially keen on selling Saido Berahino this month. Jeremy Peace told the BBC yesterday:
I said in the autumn that the club had no interest in selling Saido and that remains the case. If manager Tony Pulis decides otherwise, Berahino is too important to us to consider trading.
“My old band’s greatest claim to fame was that Eiður Guðjohnsen (yes, I just copied and pasted that)“ says David Stockwell. “Once came to a gig we played at Notting Hill Arts Club to see his fellow Icelander Stafrænn Hákon on the same bill in October 2004, back when he was only starting to disappoint Jose at Chelsea. It was a gig with “selective appeal”, so he stood at the back, but seemed to be digging it”
Bending the rules a little as this doesn’t really reference music, but Niels Bundgaard writes: “Met Brian the Beast Jensen in a bar in Copenhagen a couple of years ago. I asked for hug, and he gave it without resistance. He then tried to sell me his memoirs, but I opted for another hug and got it. That was some night!”
Any tunes playing at the time? ‘The Number of the Beast’ by Iron Maiden? ‘Beast and the Harlot’ by Avenged Sevenfold? ‘One of Us’ by Joan Osbourne?
This is the sort of thing we’re after. Writes Mark Judd: “Many years ago I was at a Bruce Springsteen concert in Manchester and who should sat in the row behind me but one Barry Horne, then of Everton.”
Have you seen Stuart Ripley at a Crowded House gig? Shared a beer with Ken Monkou while rocking out to Alisha’s Attic? Jostled Barry Venison on the way back from the bar at a Public Enemy show? Email in, I insist.
We had brief word that Manchester United might be interested in Mats Hummels earlier, a player who has indicated a lack of Champions League football might be enough to persuade him to do one from Borussia Dortmund. This is Jürgen Klopp’s response to such a suggestion:
Klopp: "If a player wants to leave because of a year without Champions League football, then my rating of them will have been wrong."
— DW - Sports (@dw_sports) January 21, 2015
Not technically a transfer move as such, but word from the Ghosts of Champions League Finals Past: Mario Basler has joined LOK Leipsig as sporting director.
DONE DEAL! A deal I thought was done last week, but still - Arsenal have confirmed the signing of young midfielder Krystian Bielik.
The club is delighted to announce the signing of Krystian Bielik. Full story: http://t.co/FRbaDeGh2B #WelcomeKrystian pic.twitter.com/tZraebcRX9
— Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) January 21, 2015
A line from Spain, and more specifically Marca, who have it in their heads that Athletic Bilbao are hot for tongue-rolling Real Madrid midfielder Asier Illarramendi. So much so that they will submit a ‘more than tempting’ €20-25 million offer for their man, which could persuade Real to sell up, and thus speed up the move of Lucas Silva from Cruzeiro.
John Chapman writes in with a nice tale that could improve Roland Duchâtelet’s battered reputation in the UK.
“Occasionally a transfer story stands out from the pack and such a one is that of Standard Liege’s centre back Laurent Ciman.
“Ciman is a regular member of Belgium’s international squad and is under contract to Standard until 2017. Despite this, Ciman is on the verge of moving to North American club, Montreal Impact (Impact de Montréal). His desire to move to the MLS (Major League Soccer) is not driven by money but for family reasons.
“Ciman’s young daughter Nina is on the autism spectrum and her parents wish to live in Quebec, a province with an international reputation in the treatment of this condition. Standard Liege chairman Roland Duchâtelet, often criticised by the fans of the clubs he owns, is releasing Ciman from his contract. This will allow the move to go through without a hitch.
“The management of Standard Liege deserve respect for allowing the player to leave the club on a free transfer and it is to be hoped that the Ciman family receive the support they need in their new home.”
Quick snippet from Italy to get your fluids flowing: AZ Aalkmar’s young defender Wesley Hoedt is having a medical at Lazio today, apparently.
Yann M’Vila seemed to be one of those players that only existed in the minds of transfer rumourers, linked with English clubs in story after story but with scant concrete evidence of his existence, to be filed alongside the mythical Leandro Damiao.
M’Vila has theoretically been on loan at Inter from Rubin Kazan this season, but the Italians apparently aren’t at all fussed about keeping him, and indeed would very much appreciate him doing one, according to the Laaaaaaaaaadaaaaaan Evenin’ Staaaaaaaaandad, who quote his agent Fabrizio Ferrari as saying:
There are many sides interested in him [M’Vila]. However, at this point in time, QPR have been the most active.
While they’re poring over players currently on loan at Inter who Roberto Mancini would like shot of, they’re also looking at a move for Southampton dreamboat Dani Osvaldo. Genoa, Parma, Torino and Cagliari are also keen on Italy’s premier hat and bead model.
Musical interlude: no idea if any footballer is or has been involved, but here’s Laura Marling’s new song, which is an absolute delight.
Banter! Japes! Larks! Jose Mourinho loves all of these, so when asked whether he’d like to sign Steven Gerrard (who, if you haven’t heard, is leaving Liverpool for LA Galaxy in the summer - little tip for you there), he quipped:
Or to get him on loan. I’m not happy he leaves. I would love the Premier League to keep always the best players. I think he has more than enough quality to play in the Premier League. In spite (of the fact) he’s my opponent, I feel sorry that he’s leaving.
Alexandre Lacazette has been, as Landon Donovan would say, bangin’ the Gs for Lyon this term, causing the ears of clubs far and wide to prick up and wallets to be loosened. According to Le10Sport.com, among those jostling for position in this particular bundle are Manchester City and Liverpool, along with PSG, Borussia Dortmund, Roma, Valencia and Juventus.
The Laaaaaaaaaadaaaaaan Evenin’ Staaaaaaaaandad has news for you, and that news is Spurs are keeping tabs on Cagliari’s 18-year-old Ghanian midfielder Godfred Donsah.
Over in Italy, it looks like Juventus are moving quickly to replace wee Sebastian Giovinco, who is set to make a surprise move to FC Toronto in the summer, possibly sooner. Simone Zaza is the man, currently at Sassuolo but the subject of a buyback agreement that could be invoked a little early, according to Gazzetta at least.
“Based on the wonderful idiosyncratic music he makes,” writes Simon Garner on the subject of music/football, “I’m guessing Darren Cunningham (once of West Brom) went to some pretty interesting gigs. Check out R.I.P. and Ghettoville!”
A man seemingly not on the move is Christian Benteke. Paul Lambert is quoted on the PFA website as saying:
Even if you go for a top, top striker in football now you are talking, £10million to £15million-plus. Christian has been my biggest signing and he was millions of euros. Now he is probably, on his game, one of the best strikers in Europe.
I knew the situation at the club, I knew we weren’t going to do these sort of things. I had to respect Randy’s (Lerner, chairman) way and there is no problem - that is the way the club is.
No chance (he will move). Listen, there is no way and I am pretty sure Randy will be totally fine.
Given that Benteke is the spearhead of an attack that has been about as threatening as a mouse in mittens this season, it would be a bit odd if clubs really were battering Villa’s door down for the big Belgian right now.
Quite literally all happening now. Looks like Samuel Eto’o’s brief stay at Everton will be coming to a close shortly, with a move to Sampdoria on the cards despite not actually sorting an agreement with the Toffees about his departure just yet.
Samp sporting director Carlo Osti told Sky Italia:
Our agreement with Eto’o has almost been finalised. He wants to join Sampdoria, those are his intentions. He is currently negotiating with Everton to resolve his contract with them. Everton are looking for a replacement.
It might take a day more than expected, but we are moderately optimistic on Eto’o and hope he can arrive as soon as possible. I think Eto’o is a player of great character who can only help this group of mature players grow even more.
Updated
All about Arsenal today in transfer land, which makes a pleasant change. Here’s Charles Antaki on another target: ‘The attractive promise of Milner at Arsenal is that he would be the lone dull player there, and therefore become (for that reason) much more interesting than he’s ever been.’
And here’s some more on Gabriel, via AS and our old pal Google Translate. Apparently Arsenal will triple the defender’s salary if he moves, which is very nice for him.
You could understand David de Gea being a bit stressed right now, amid talk of new contracts and moves to Real Madrid and swaps with Gareth Bale, so obviously he needs to unwind somehow. And what better way to soothe the soul than an evening at a Slipknot gig?
Amazing concert!!! @slipknot pic.twitter.com/BfnHgHDlAk
— David De Gea (@D_DeGea) January 20, 2015
Any other footballers with curious tastes in live music? I recall Kenny Dalglish and Andy Carroll once passed a pleasant evening at a Boyzone gig. Presumably got right involved in the circle pit at that one.
And now back to Arsenal and Gabriel, as Spanish radio station Cadena SER is apparently firmly of the opinion that a move will happen imminently, for something like £15million. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm.
Speaking of Cuadrado (couple of entries ago, keep up), this picture purports to be him at Anfield last night watching Chelsea play. I...I am a little more skeptical, but I wouldn’t encourage you to walk down this miserable path of cynicism that has made me the wreck of a man that sits here today.
BREAKING! Fiorentina man Juan Cuadrado is at Anfield tonight as a guest of #CFC ahead of a potential move pic.twitter.com/qIojDyuTxI
— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) January 20, 2015
For what tis worth, Gazzetta reckons Fiorentina want the full buyout clause in his contract of €35m, but Chelsea will start the bidding at something closer to €27m.
Tony Pulis working his magic here, claims Da....sorry, the Secret Footballer...
Shola Ameobi to sign for West Brom imminently. #WBA
— Secret Footballer (@TSF) January 21, 2015
Seems Shola hasn’t found life with Turkish second division side Gaziantep Buyuksehir Belediyespor, with whom he signed a one-year contract in August, exactly to his liking.
Hhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeeeyyyyyyyyyyoooooooo - the Rumour Mill is here, and within lies news that:
- Everton want to take Aaron Lennon off Tottenham’s hands
- Chelsea are keen on Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado
- And to make space they’ll pack André Schürrle off to Werder Bremen or Bayer Leverkusen and Mohamed Salah to Besiktas or Roma
- Arsenal are after Chieck Tiote. Again
- Also, other things
Arsenal are thought to be deep, deep, deep in discussions over Villarreal defender Gabriel Paulista, and by the sounds of it the player in question is pretty keen on the idea.
And now Villarreal coach Marcelino concedes the move could happen this month. Speaking to Spanish radio show El Larguero, he said: “I hadn’t considered selling Gabriel, it’s bad news from a sporting point of view.
“If both Gabriel and the club believe that his sale to Arsenal is the best for all parties, we will accept.”
Interesting stuff from the Manchester Evening News, who report that Manchester United are not the team in for Valencia defender Nicolas Otamendi, and they’re also unlikely to move for Porto’s Bruno Martins Indi. No, no - the apple of their eye is Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, but a move this month probably won’t happen, with a transfer more likely for the summer.
Meanwhile, Darren Fletcher could be on the move, with Valencia, West Ham, West Brom and Celtic all keen on the midfielder.
A few ‘in case you missed them’ lines from yesterday:
- Swansea and Tottenham have agreed a £5million fee for right-back Kyle Naughton
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Swansea are also very keen indeed to keep hold of Bafetimbi Gomis, wanted by Crystal Palace
- Marko Marin has joined Anderlecht on loan from Chelsea, simultaneously revealing to everyone who had forgotten that he actually was still at Chelsea
It’s a tricky balance when you want a transfer but aren’t sure if it’s going to happen, so therefore don’t want to annoy your present club lest you actually have to stay there. Blackburn forward Rudy Gestede’s agent has a good go here, speaking to Ed Aarons about his man’s potential move to Crystal Palace.
Crystal Palace made an offer to Blackburn last week but it was rejected,” he told Guardian sport.
Now the clubs have to discuss to try and find a solution. The player really wants to sign for Crystal Palace but is also committed to Blackburn.
Rudy has been enjoying this season and just wants to play football. He just wants the club to consider this great opportunity for him to achieve his ambition to play in the Premier League.
Kevin Mirallas is leaving the country....with the rest of the Everton squad on a mid-season break in Qatar. He is sniffing around a transfer though, as Andy Hunter writes in his assessment of stuff going awry at Goodison.
Who wants James Milner? You really should think about it - he’s very good, and thanks to a contract impasse with Manchester City, there’s every chance you could get him for nowt at the end of the season.
Milner is apparently weighing up offers from Spain and Italy that he could sign this month, with Arsenal and Liverpool the likely destinations if he holds fire until the end of the season. Because obviously it’s against the rules to even discuss any transfer to an English club before then so a footballer would never do that.
Anyway, Stuart James reports:
City have not yet given up hope of keeping Milner, who joined them from Aston Villa in a £26m deal during 2010. Club officials met with his representatives last week and they are not a million miles apart when it comes to an agreement on the figures put forward in a proposed contract.
For Milner, however, the financial package is not going to determine where and when he signs his next deal. If the former Leeds trainee leaves on a free transfer under the Bosman ruling at the end of the season, he will be well remunerated wherever he pitches up. The burning issue, in his eyes, is what happens on the pitch over the next few years. He turned 29 this month and wants to be playing every week.
We’ll begin with some vaguely odd quotes from Cristiano Ronaldo, being interpreted in many quarters as a SNUB and a BLOW to Manchester United’s slight hopes of getting their old love back, should he ever leave Real Madrid.
Speaking at some sort of publicity event hoo-ha doofer, Ronaldo said:
Corinthians and Flamengo are two famous club, I would gladly dress in one of their shirts. In Brazil I have many friends, so my relationship with the country is very good. At Real I have passed many Brazilians, with Kaka one of the people I respect most of all.
Well, good morning. And have we got a show for you. Day three of the Guardian transfer window liveblog is here, and after some dude complained yesterday about too much of the absolute 2,000 carat gold stuff we’re bringing you in here was from foreign papers, we’ll try to...actually, no, we’re going to carry on just as we were, because we will not cave in to pressure, we will not crumble at the first sign of dissent, and we will not bow to any sponsors.
Done deals? Rumours? Half-truths? Poorly-translated quotes from La Stampa? They will all be right here friends, so stay right where you are for it all.
Nick will be here shortly.
